


Multiple Things Can Be True At The Same Time

by Superster



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra, Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Affairs, Angst and Feels, Extramarital Affairs, F/M, Porn With Plot, Shameless Smut, Smut, Tokka - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-01
Updated: 2021-01-04
Packaged: 2021-03-09 06:06:48
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,590
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27319711
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Superster/pseuds/Superster
Summary: Toph could feel a touch of mist against her face as he left, and in the alley he turned to bid her goodbye. "Goodnight, Toph. I’ll see you tomorrow."She shouldn’t say it. But the impulse rose inside her like an avalanche, sudden and inevitable."Goodnight Sokka. Give your wife my love."Sokka is married, and he loves his wife.Toph and Sokka are having an affair, but she doesn't love him.Multiple things can be true at the same time.
Relationships: Toph Beifong & Sokka, Toph Beifong/Sokka
Comments: 29
Kudos: 89





	1. Working late

**Author's Note:**

> In this story, almost everything is canon, except that Sokka is married.
> 
> This story stands alone from my other work, the Dark Kelp Liquor Diaries. Enjoy.

The precinct was quiet at night, the working officers out on city patrols and the skeleton shift drowsing at their desks in the bullpen. The chief’s office was in the back, not visible to the main bullpen, a position that made it suitable for private meetings with city officials and politicians. Although her officers didn’t know it, Republic City’s Chief of Police was in one such meeting right now.

The stone surface of Toph’s desk was shockingly cold against her skin, a welcome contrast to the hot and stuffy air inside her office. It was a cool night outside, but she wasn’t going to open the windows in case someone heard her and the councilman fucking each other. 

Her breeches were carelessly tossed in the corner and her foot was up and bracing against the edge of the desk to keep her balance. Still mostly clothed, Sokka’s breath was hot against her neck and the muscles of his back rippled and moved as he thrust inside of her, each movement of his hips winding her tighter and tighter. His cock was hard and hot and moved in just the right way that had her squirming on top of the desk, gripping at his tunic and fighting to stay silent. She grabbed his hair, pulling his face towards her own for a kiss that was rushed and hot and she took his lip in between her teeth to suppress a moan. _Spirits_ _yes, right there._

She locked a forearm around his neck to keep herself upright as his tempo picked up, settled into a bone-rattling pace that scattered her thoughts like sparrows and his fingers gripped her hips with delicious force. She squeezed his clothed bicep with her free hand as a tide of sensation rose inside of her and the sound of their breathing filled her ears. He kissed her again, this time more tenderly, and she felt more than heard his breathing start to hitch and  _ oma and shu _ she knew he wasn’t far and damn it, neither was she.

As though he could read her thoughts, he put his hand on her knee and  _ pushed _ , spreading her legs open even wider and pressing in closer, turning up the sensation in her body like a radio dial. His hand found the small of her back and pulled her even more flush against him, and his lips found her neck and she felt like she was going to explode out of her own skin and-- 

Like a crashing wave, she came, hard and shaking. A few moments later with a gasp and a shudder, he came with her.

His hips stilled, and the sound of them catching their breath filled the quiet room as Toph’s thoughts slowly cleared.

With a small sigh Sokka stood, running a hand through his hair. He tucked himself back into his trousers, then fished something out of his briefcase on the floor nearby, handing it to her. She took it. A handkerchief.

“A token of your affection?” she asked with an edge of sarcasm, voice cutting through the silence.

Sokka didn’t turn his head, his hands redoing his wolftail from where it had come undone, but his voice was steady and unapologetic. “For your desk.”

Toph’s mouth twisted into something like a smile. “You’re always good at planning ahead.”

He didn’t respond, and finished tying up his wolftail. He looked around, then walked to the corner of the office to grab her breeches and undershorts from where they’d been tossed earlier.

Toph cleaned herself up with the handkerchief and climbed off the desk. She took her clothes from Sokka when he offered them to her, climbing back into them unhurriedly. 

He waited for her to get reclothed and situated. She was smoothing her bun down when he asked, “Should I use the booking entrance again to leave?”

She shook her head. “The drunk-and-disorderly’s are going to start coming in any minute now, so someone could see you. I’ll bend a doorway out into the alley, and you can leave from here.”

He nodded, grabbed the soiled handkerchief from where she’d left in on the desk, and folded it up back into his briefcase, which he swung over his shoulder.

They stood, regarding each other. There was a moment of silence, of unspoken things.

He broke it first. “Are you working late again this week?” His voice was controlled, nonchalant.

Technically, the answer was no. She was caught up on paperwork, and there were no pressing large-profile cases right now.

“Yes.” she said, just as controlled. “Tomorrow.”

“I have meetings tomorrow, but we finish around 11 o’clock.”

She debated saying that was too late. That she had to get home to Lin on the weekends. “I’ll still be here at 11.” she said instead.

She turned her ear towards the wall facing the alley, extending her senses out in either direction. There were a few people walking in nearby streets, but no one close. “The coast is clear,” she said. She went to drop into a bending stance when Sokka put his hand on her arm.

She heard a small smile shape his words, and his tone was sincere. “It was good to see you.” he said. He bent down and kissed her, and it was warm, and sweet, and her traitorous body leaned instinctively closer before she came to herself and cut it short, pulling away. 

She bent her knees and  _ pushed _ and a doorway opened up in the wall, leading into the alley next to the precinct. “You have a good 5 minutes before anyone enters the street, so you should be good to go.” she told him.

Sokka adjusted the strap on his shoulder and turned to go, walking out into the cool night air. Toph could feel a touch of night-time mist against her face as he left, and once in the alley he turned to bid her goodbye. “Goodnight, Toph. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

She shouldn’t say it. But the impulse rose inside her like an avalanche, sudden and inevitable.

“Goodnight Sokka. Give your wife my love.”

She pushed her hand down, and the doorway turned back into unbroken stone, and she was alone.


	2. The Same Stone

“Mother _ fucker. _ ” Toph gasped in a whisper, head flying back against her chair.

Sokka worked his tongue up and down her core, face buried so far between her legs she was surprised he could breathe. It was nighttime again in her office, the precinct relatively quiet, and it was the perfect time for an affair. Toph had one foot up on the arm of her desk chair and the other digging into his back, hands on the back of his head keeping the councilman in position as he ate her out with deliberate, intense focus.

His hands ran up and down her thighs, curling their way around to her ass and back again, squeezing and gripping as they went. He pulled away with his mouth for a second, slowly teasing her with a single finger, and she could feel him watching her as he slipped it inside of her and she bit her tongue to keep from making any further sound. He pulled it in and out of her, before adding a second that made her buck against his fingers for more. She was about to tell him to stop the teasing and just get on with it but then he bent and his tongue met her clit again and her thoughts dissolved into sand.

His tongue moved with incredible speed, sending blinding pulses of electricity up and down her body as his fingers curled up, and  _ up _ , spreading her open and winding her up like a coiled spring. As the sensation grew and grew the muscles in her stomach danced and her legs shook and she bit her own fist to keep from crying out.

With a rush, she came, hard and fast. Her orgasm seared through her like a flame, and she forgot how to breathe as Sokka pulled her over the high.

Aftershocks still pulsing, she struggled to get her breathing under control as he stilled and pulled away. Suddenly desperate for the feel of his skin she followed him, climbing off the chair and onto his lap on the floor in front of her desk. 

His tunic was open, and her hands found the planes of his chest hungrily, nipples catching under her fingers. She kissed underneath his jaw, his head flying back with a sharp intake of breath as he pulled her closer, their movements almost frantic. She reached down in between them and undid the tie on his trousers, reaching in and taking him into her hand, hard and hot and pulsing. He lifted her, pulling her into position until the head of his cock was lined up with her entrance, but without waiting for him she pushed herself down, sheathing him inside of her in a single motion.

Sokka’s chest rumbled, a swallowed groan that went straight to Toph’s insides, turning her on even more. His hips surged underneath her and she started riding him frantically, fingernails digging into his shoulders. They were moving together, neither one fully in control, and it was messy and uneven and the stone floor was hard and rough and it felt  _ so fucking good _ . 

Sokka started to move more frantically, his hips stuttering underneath her, his hands on her hips flexing and grasping. She reached out her hand and held his face, bringing their foreheads to almost touching, feeling his hair and sweat against her fingertips even as her body coiled itself tighter and tighter and it got harder and harder to remember to breathe. He smelled like sex and sweat and  _ Sokka _ .

His hand worked between them and grazed the top of her clit, stoking the fire in her body even higher. He surged in at out of her, each thrust hammering home helplessly, and she was barely riding him anymore, just holding on as her world spun around her. 

His voice was breathless and cracked when he whispered, “Come for me.” and her world shattered.

Sokka gasped as he came with her, but she barely registered it as the roar in her ears drowned out everything and her limbs shook helplessly, the pleasure searing through her body like a tidal wave.

When the roar eventually died down and she came back to herself, she found herself slumped on top of him, head against his shoulder. He had his head back against the desk behind him, chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath, arms boneless on either side.

They sat like that for a long moment, wordlessly stretching out the silence of contentment before the talking and the leaving that inevitably came afterwards.

Toph focused on the feeling of his bare shoulder against her cheek, the rising and falling of his chest against hers. Her seismic sense saw them, tangled up together on the floor, two bodies alone in an empty room, holding each other.

Years ago, when they travelled together during the war, Toph and Aang used to argue a lot. It was for many reasons, most of which disappeared with time and maturity and continued friendship. But one that they always came back to was that Aang always had to know ‘why.’ There was always a reason why people did things, why they made the choices they did. Everything had an answer, even if the answer was just “because that person is evil.” This was why he and Katara got along so well, because she always knew the answers. But Toph knew better. There was no reason why she was born blind. There was no real reason why Ozai was a brutal conqueror and why the fire nation army killed so many people. It just  _ happened _ , and you had to deal with it. Knowing the “why” didn’t change anything, only made the hurt last longer.

Sokka understood this. He knew that there wasn’t a simple answer for why his mother had been killed, how it wasn’t just one evil man but a whole history of war and cultural propaganda and superior orders. He understood that the world was complicated, and people were contradictory, and sometimes things just happened.

Which is why, the first time  _ this _ happened, there was no time for ‘why.’ Just hands and mouths and heat behind a closed door at the Air Temple, while their friends and families laughed and visited naively down the hall. A connection so vivid, so powerful, that it superceded all rational thought.

When it was over, they returned to the party separately. Toph walked back in and felt Sokka, his arm around his wife Temujin, laughing at a story she was telling. His stance was relaxed, his laughter sincere, his heartbeat steady. He leaned in and told Temujin he loved her, and it was true. Toph could feel it. The night continued as normal and they left, and they continued their separate lives. 

There wasn’t a reason for what they had done, it had just happened.

And then it happened again. And again. And again.

And now here they were, collapsed on top of each other on the hard stone floor of her office in the middle of the night. Tangled in every definition of the word.

Sokka’s arm curled around her back and he leaned his head down on top of hers. Like that the spell over Toph was broken and she pulled away, climbing off of his lap and rolling to the side.

This time the mess was mostly on him, and he pulled the same handkerchief out of his pocket and cleaned himself up carefully. Toph stood and found her clothes, putting them on silently. Her knees were scraped and raw from kneeling on the stone floor. It wasn’t painful, but it was annoying. “It would be more comfortable to do this in a bed.” she said, almost off-handedly.

“You’re not wrong.” he said, doing up his clothes and standing. To her surprise though, he seemed to take her comment as a suggestion. “I could come over tomorrow after Lin goes to bed.”

That was a terrible idea, and it made her bristle. “No.” she said as firmly as she could. “She doesn’t sleep soundly through the night. She might wake up and see you.”

“That’s not the end of the world. She knows me.”

She turned to face him, struggling to keep her voice down as frustration bled into her tone. “Yes, she knows you, but we don’t want her at school or at Aang and Katara’s talking about Uncle Sokka being at her house at night by himself. That would probably raise some questions.”

He stopped, and nodded. “You’re right. That wouldn’t be good.”

She clenched her jaw. It was like he didn’t even think about the fact that this was an affair. That they were lying, and hiding from everyone they knew. From the entire city, whose gossip would end not only their relationships but their careers as well. For half a second, anger boiled under her skin, and she relished the feel of it. It felt familiar and comforting, a welcome change from the roiling mess of whatever-the-hell her feelings had become recently.

They were standing a few feet apart from each other, and she could feel him looking at her. “You could come over on Sunday. Tem is taking a trip to Ba Sing Se for a new business partnership, and she’ll be gone.”

Fuck.

She fought to keep her anger, but despite herself she felt it drain into melancholy, and a sadness that suddenly felt like it went all the way into her bones. “No.” she said, trying to maintain her hard tone and failing. “I can do this--” she gestured to the two of them. “--but I can’t fuck you in the bed where you sleep with your wife. I can’t do that.”

This was the first time she’d directly mentioned the dissonance, Sokka’s marriage hanging over their heads. It felt heavy, like iron weighing down the space between them.

He didn’t respond. She let the silence linger on purpose. After a moment he crossed over to her, taking her hand and holding it between them. He ran his thumb over her knuckles, and his skin was warm and calloused. 

“You know I care about you, right?” he asked, tone unreadable. “I care about you very much.”

She couldn’t breathe. What the fuck was that supposed to mean?

“I care about you too.” she managed. “But not enough to put up with this cliché, foolish ‘come to my home while my wife is gone’ bullshit. What do you think this is?” With his proximity and sudden sincerity she felt a kind of momentum, like the words were coming out of their own accord. “We’re having an  _ affair _ , Sokka. That is what this is. An affair. We both know that.” Her free hand gripped his tunic. “But there have to be limits because I will not be caught in this.”

For the first time she felt an edge of sarcasm creep into his tone. “So meeting in your office where any of your officers could catch us is best, then?”

She ignored him. “How are you and Temujin doing, anyway? Having any problems?”

It was subtle but he stiffened. “We’re doing fine. I’m not here with you because my marriage is having problems.”

She knew this, and she was just picking a fight at this point, but she barreled on ahead. “You can’t have it both ways. You can’t be happily married,  _ and _ fucking your childhood friend in secret on the side. That’s not how these things work.”

“Toph, I don’t care.” There it was, a bit of anger. She was getting a rise out of him, and it felt good. The unflappable politician, the people person, getting angry at her. “This is where we are, this is what it is. Saying it’s impossible doesn’t change the reality. You want this, _ I  _ want this. It doesn’t matter how things are ‘supposed’ to work.”

“Yes it does matter. No matter how much we want each other, there are still ramifications and consequences. We can’t expect to keep this up forever.”

“I don’t expect forever.”

And then he was kissing her. She surged to life against him, passion and feeling exploding out of her in a rush, and that was it. That was why she kept coming back. His hands were in her hair and his body was pressed against hers and he kissed her like a man dying of thirst tasting water. She locked her arms around his neck and kissed him back just as hard, her body fitting against his like they were carved from the same stone. 

And maybe they were.

And maybe they weren’t.

Multiple things could be true at the same time.


	3. The Anniversary

Like Tui and La circling each other, they continued. Sometimes it’d be weeks between, other times they’d see each other every day.

It was Aang and Katara’s anniversary. They took everyone out to dinner at a fire nation restaurant downtown, and the group of adults and rambunctious kids filled the private dining room in the back comfortably. Lin and Kya and Tenzin had been good for most of dinner, but afterwards they ran circles around the table, laughing and dodging chairs. Bumi sat with the adults, doing his best to be grown-up. 

Toph hadn’t hired her makeup artist for the night, but she did forgo her usual uniform for the occasion, wearing a close-fitting tunic with embroidered sleeves and long, loose-fitting trousers. She sat next to Aang and Katara with Sokka and Temujin on the other side of the table, and the spicy Fire Nation food sparked enthusiastic retellings of old war stories, with lots of corrections and playful arguments breaking out over the details.

Aang and Katara were disgustingly affectionate. 15 years married, they still sat arm-to-arm, hand-in-hand, stealing kisses, only breaking to wrangle their kids throughout the evening. Sokka and Temujin didn’t have kids of their own, but Tenzin sat in Temujin’s lap for most of the evening, stealing dumplings from her plate and reaching for her wine glass before wiggling his way to the floor.

The wine flowed freely, the jokes moreso, and the atmosphere was warm and familiar and peaceful.

After a while the kids ran themselves out and the evening wound down. Sleepy Lin on her hip, Toph walked out of the restaurant with the group. Aang had Tenzin over one shoulder and Kya over the other, and walked across the street to where Appa was waiting peacefully in a nearby park.

“Can we give you and Lin a ride home on Appa?” Katara asked. “Your place is on the other side of the city and it’ll save you hiring a cab.”

Toph hoisted Lin a little higher in her arms.“Yes, that’d be great. She’ll be happy for a little more cousin time, although I doubt she’ll stay awake for the whole flight.”

Katara waved a hand. “The kids likely won’t last the ride either, they’re going to be out so fast!”

She turned to Sokka and Temujin. “Can we give you guys a lift, too?”

Sokka shook his head. “Our place isn’t too far, and it’s a nice evening for a walk.”

“No problem. Thank you so much for coming!” Katara replied, giving Sokka and Temujin hugs goodbye. She turned to Toph and held out her arms for Lin. “Here, I’ll get her loaded up in the saddle.”

Toph handed the sleepy 4-year-old to Katara, who walked off to load her onto Appa in the park.

Temujin looked around, then put her hand on Sokka’s shoulder. “I forgot my bag inside, give me just a second to go fetch it.” she said, scurrying back inside.

And for a moment, it was just Toph and Sokka, standing outside the restaurant.

He turned to her, keeping a respectable distance, as they were still in eyeshot of Katara and Aang. He spoke quietly, but unhurriedly. “My office? After you get Lin settled at home.”

Toph felt the wine warm underneath her skin, the evening of laughter and reminiscing tingling as much as the alcohol. “Yes, I’ll be there.” she said.

His voice was soft, with a hint of a smile. “You look incredible tonight.”

Her chest swelled, despite herself.

She was just opening her mouth to respond when Temujin walked back out of the restaurant with her bag. “Found it!” she said. She took Sokka’s hand. “Shall we head out?” she asked.

Sokka squeezed his wife’s hand. “Yes, I think we should.” 

Temujin turned to Toph. “Goodnight Toph, it was great to see you!” Toph could hear her smile, her sincerity.

The swelling in Toph’s chest deflated as quickly as it had risen.

Toph smiled back. “Thanks, you too. Have a nice walk home.”

And then they walked away, fingers intertwined and bodies close. 

\---

An hour later, Toph was winding her way through the Republic City streets, practiced feet finding familiar cobblestones on her way to the governing district.

The buildings were large, here. Offices for various city departments, meeting halls, and judiciary courts loomed in her seismic vision, the newer ones echoing with metal and glass. At this hour, in this part of town, it was very quiet. Only the occasional secretary hurrying home after a long day, and a few security guards patrolling their beats. Toph listened and waited, then moved with practiced ease, timing her path to stay out of eyeshot of everyone and barely breaking her stride while doing so.

She reached the council building’s side door, and opened the lock with a twist of metalbending, ascending the stairs inside. The building was tall and beautiful, one of the first built in the city, constructed out of solid granite and marble with a combination of earthbending and traditional labor. She reached out with her senses as she climbed. There was Sokka, in his office on the top floor. The rest of the building was empty, except for a security officer in a guard booth on the ground level.

When she reached his office she didn’t bother knocking, just let herself in and walked over to him. Sokka was leaning against the edge of his desk with a glass in his hand, looking out the window over the city. At her approach, he stood.

“Hey, glad you made it alright. Can I get you a drink?” he asked, gesturing to a glass decanter on a small table nearby.

She nodded. “One can’t hurt.”

He poured her what sounded like a very generous amount, and handed her the glass. She took a sip of something strong, and smoky.

“Uneventful walk, I hope?” he asked pleasantly, sipping his own drink.

“Yes. Whatever trouble is happening in the city tonight, it seems to be happening far away.”

He laughed softly. “The trouble never ends, but sometimes it takes a night off.” 

She sat back against the edge of his desk, ear turned to the window. It really was quiet tonight, quieter than most nights. Usually, even at this hour, there were sounds of activity from ships in the harbor, the clank and animal noises of cabs and carriages, the laughter and yelling of people living their lives. But up here, high above everything, it was strangely quiet.

Sokka came over and sat next to her. The line of his hip brushed gently against hers, their shoulders close. “I like my office best when there’s meetings to be had, people to talk to, problems to solve.” he said, and she heard his self-aware half-smile. “But I also really enjoy times like this, when everything’s quiet, and I can look out over the city. It reminds me of being home, in a way. Like looking out over the ocean at night.”

Toph shifted, resting her shoulder against his. “In the badgermole tunnels when I was little, surrounded by the earth, I could feel  _ everything _ . Every anthill, every tree growing on the surface, every being that walked or crawled or breathed on that mountain. It was beautiful.”

Sokka’s head turned from the window to look at her.

“Since moving to the city,” she continued, “sometimes I’ll wander down into the underground train tunnels, and find a quiet place down an access tunnel and just...sit. And feel the city above and around me. It’s not quite the same, but it’s still nice.”

He didn’t reply, just leaned a little bit of his weight against her comfortingly.

They sat together like that for a long moment. It was peaceful, the kind of peace that comes from a lifetime of friendship. It felt  _ right _ . And yet…

This feeling, this  _ rightness _ , was no longer safe. Toph was comfortable, and she knew it was dangerous. She knew, deep down, that with Sokka it would be so simple to slip from comfort and companionship into something deeper, something more wrong than a physical affair. Something that would tear their lives and the lives of their families apart. And she wouldn’t, couldn’t let that happen.

And yet...

She tilted her glass back and downed the rest of her drink in one go. Thoughts humming, she turned her head and grabbed the back of Sokka’s neck, pulling him into a deep, bittersweet kiss. 

He responded immediately, his hand coming up to the side of her face and his body turning into hers, his own drink discarded on the desk behind them.

She put her body into it, standing and turning to press him against the side of the desk, pushing against the planes of him, being met with delicious resistance. She wound her fingers up into his wolftail and he hummed, a pleased sound that rumbled in his chest..

His arm pulled around her waist, pulling her flush against him, his thigh finding its way in between her legs. He kissed her with focus, with a depth of feeling that made her stomach immediately tug with lust, and her chest tighten in a way that she pushed past as quickly as possible by grinding against his leg and reaching to get him out of his clothes.

Her fingers found their familiar way under his tunic, undoing the ties and fastenings quickly and pulling the fabric back to expose the expanse of his chest. The feeling of his skin under her hands was electric, and very effective at distracting her from the roiling thoughts in her head, and she felt his heartbeat pick up as she grazed her fingernails over the skin of his abdomen. He stood up, pushing them into a standing position, finding the bottom of her top and pulling it over her head. Cool air hit her skin and she sucked in a breath as his mouth met her nipple, tongue working over it until it hardened. He kissed up her chest until his mouth found the base of her jaw and she shoved the sleeves of his tunic off his shoulders, pulling him close until they were skin to skin.

He backed them up towards the couch against the wall of his office, and they moved in perfect tandem, no stumbling or tripping, moving like two skilled people who were deeply familiar with each other. He was kissing her neck in a way that was blurring the edges of her thoughts into fuzziness and his body felt so  _ good _ under her hands and she wanted him so much it made her dizzy.

The back of her legs hit the edge of the couch. She hooked her forearm around the back of his neck and  _ pulled _ , and they tumbled down together. His weight fell on top of her and her mouth found his again, and the velvet of the couch was soft against the bare skin of her back.

Sokka’s hand found the back of her thigh and he hitched it up over his hip, pressing forward and grinding against her core and she felt how hard he was and  _ spirits-- _

She reached for the waistband of his trousers but he moved out of her reach, kissing his way down her body until he reached the swell of her hip. He hooked his fingers underneath the top of her leggings and underwear and pulled slowly, too slowly, kissing each inch of exposed skin as he worked them down her legs and off. She pulled at his wolftail impatiently, undoing the tie and weaving her fingers into his hair, tugging to get him back where she wanted him.

Fingers ghosting up her hips, Sokka laid a single heated kiss on the inside of her thigh before he surged forward and his tongue pressed into her core and her back arched off the velvet of the couch and her thoughts dissolved into sand.

Toph’s breathing grew heavy, and she threw her leg up over his shoulder, digging her ankle into his back. He hummed against her, amused, and settled into a rhythm that had her squirming and panting, thrusting against his face shamelessly. 

Sokka gripped her ass with both hands, going up on his knees for more leverage and pinning her to the velvet. One hand worked its way between them and one finger teased at her entrance, and when he pushed it forward and inside of her she gasped.

At the sound, he redoubled his attention on her clit and pressed his finger in and out of her, and oma and  _ shu _ the things his tongue were doing were winding her tighter and tighter and her thoughts swirled and pulsed until  _ fuck-- _

She came, shaking, her knees locked around his head.

When she came back to herself he was laying small kisses on her stomach. 

Warmth pooled in her limbs from her orgasm, but the rush and urgency was still there, and she was struck by the overwhelming desire to have him inside of her.

She pulled at him pointedly and he lifted his head. She pushed against him and he sat back on his knees, and she followed him, sitting up and pushing him back until he was sitting with his back against the arm of the couch. 

Toph pressed her body against his and kissed him, long and slow, tasting herself on his lips. He kissed her back just as slowly, but she felt the tremor of his heartbeat and the impatience thrumming under his skin. He was achingly hard, erection pressing through his trousers and she ground herself down on him once, just to hear the hiss of air as he sucked in a breath.

As quick as she could she rid him of the rest of his clothes, and then she wrapped a hand around his length and took his earlobe in between her teeth and began pumping up and down, first slowly, and then faster and faster. Sokka’s hands came up to grasp at her back, pressing and trembling as she moved, his breathing loud and shaky in her ear.

She ran her tongue down his neck and brushed her thumb over his nipple, and he moaned deep in his chest and pulled her closer, sending a thrill down her spine and between her legs.

She kept up a strenuous pace, stroking him until he turned his head and captured her mouth in his own, then hooked his arm around her waist, pulling her all the way on top of him. He lined himself up with her entrance and teased the head of his cock against her, but she sank herself down onto him in one decisive motion, no longer willing to put up with waiting and  _ yes-- _ suddenly she was  _ full _ of him, and he felt so  _ good _ . and she pressed her forehead against his in shared sensation, their movements stilling for just a moment.

Her hands on his face, she felt the roughness of his beard and the smoothness of his skin. 

His heart raced in time with hers.

They took one deep breath, together.

Then she lifted herself up, and down, and up, and his hands found her hips, and everything collapsed into swirling noise as she moved faster and faster until she was riding him wantonly, desperately, barely holding on.

“Toph…. _ fuck _ ....” Sokka breathed, voice cracking as he slammed his hips up to meet hers.

Skin to skin she could see him perfectly, sprawled out underneath her, muscles pulling and rippling as she rode him faster and faster, his head thrown back and the lines of his neck tight with the building tension. 

Just when she felt she was going to black out from the sheer force of it all, she slowed down and grabbed his shoulders, pulling them both backwards onto the velvet behind her.

His weight settled over her deliciously, and he buried his face in the crook of her neck, and with one quick press he was back inside of her, and she wove her fingers into his hair and let the feeling overtake her as he picked up the rhythm where she’d left it off.

At this point she could barely remember her own name, the coiling in her belly growing tighter and tighter and her thoughts becoming more and more scattered. 

He was everywhere, around her and on top of her and inside her and he felt so  _ right _ and she felt his movements begin to stutter and his breathing grow ragged and she knew he was right there with her, right on that edge.

“I’m close, I’m so close…” she panted, desperate, and dragged her fingernails over his shoulder frantically.

Still thrusting in an unrelenting pace, Sokka worked his hand down in between them. Toph’s whole body pulled taught like a string in anticipation of where it was going, her hands scrabbling for purchase on his back and her legs shaking. 

The second his thumb brushed the top of her clit her senses exploded into electricity. She came like a crashing wave, suddenly and all at once.

Through the roaring in her ears as she rode her orgasm, she felt him shudder once, twice, and he called out her name as he followed her over the peak.

They lay there, breathing hard, for a long moment, the rush of pleasure turning into tingly warmth, a peaceful heaviness in her limbs that made her want to lie there forever and forget about everything.

The air in the room was suddenly cool against her overheated skin, but Sokka’s body was like a warm and heavy blanket on top of her. The alcohol hummed pleasantly through her thoughts, a long and happy evening culminating in a perfect ending.

She traced lazy shapes over the muscles of Sokka’s back and felt his chest rumble contentedly.

His voice was soft and relaxed, lips moving against her shoulder. “Mmm, I love this...I love you.” he said, and the words shattered her afterglow like ice water.

Spirits damn it all.

Her thoughts were suddenly as clear as glass and as fractured as though that glass had been shattered. She fought for the words. “No.” was all she managed, pushing him off of her and sitting up abruptly.

Sokka rolled off and sat up on an elbow, but he didn’t question her.

“No.” was all she could repeat.

Toph stood and went for her clothes, not even bothering to clean up properly. Every awful feeling she’d had about this, about them, was suddenly hitting her full-force all at once. She felt trapped, like the prisons of wood of her youth, but this time it was a prison of her own creation.

She pulled on her clothes as quickly as she could, and felt him watching.

“Toph.” he said, carefully, speaking to her like she was an animal about to charge. “It’s okay. I love you in the sense that you’re my friend. That’s all.”

But that wasn’t all. And it couldn’t  _ be _ like that. Not after everything.

She fastened the last tie on her top and stood in the center of the office, as still as stone. The silence felt like a weight, and the unspoken happinesses and frustrations of the last year roiled inside her chest like bound spirits.

He was waiting for her. Waiting for her to say something.

Finally, she broke the silence.

“I’m done.”

There was another long silence.

Slowly, Sokka moved until he was sitting upright on the couch. He ran his hands over his hair, gathering it back into its wolftail, putting it back up with the discarded tie. He smoothed out the rumpled velvet of the couch next to him.

“Okay.” he said, evenly. “Are you sure?”

_ No, I’m not. I want you more than I’ve wanted anything. _

Toph focused on her breathing, as though she was meditating. In, out. In, out.

“Yes, I’m sure.” she said, solid as granite.

Sokka stood and went for his own clothes, working his way back into them methodically. When he was fully dressed again, he crossed to his desk and stood there, fingers toying with the glass he left there earlier. “May I ask why?” he asked, tone casual but tinged with a sadness Toph forced herself to ignore.

She searched for the words, chest tight.

“You’re my friend, my best friend,” she started, and felt something inside her crack open, “and being with you, being together, still feels as right as it has for the last 20 years...But I can’t keep lying to myself.” The words seem to come out of her, all at once, like she couldn’t stop them even if she wanted to. 

“It’s not the same, anymore.” she continued, “We’ve changed something, something that can’t be unchanged the way we are right now. And as much as I want this, as much as I want  _ you _ , there’s never just joy, in this. In the secrecy, in the burden. It’s always as painful as it is happy, there’s never one without the other.”

Her voice cracked under the strain of keeping her composure, and she stopped.

She took another focused breath. In, and out. She closed her eyes.

“So I’m done. I won’t keep seeing you, not like this.”

Despite her words, despite the heaviness that settled into her bones, there was no tension in the room.

Sokka took a moment, then crossed to her in the center of the room, gently putting his hand on her arm. She couldn’t find it in herself to pull away.

“I understand.” he said, and his voice was resigned and understanding. “You have every right to feel that way. I’ll be honest, though…” he paused, as though searching for the words, and when he spoke again his voice was soft. “...I’m going to miss you, very, very much. I’m going to miss us, like this, together.” He was so close to her, and the honesty of his words bled through every syllable, and his heart beat pure and truthful and only the discipline of a lifetime of bending kept her breathing steady and stable.

Then he took a step back, and away. “But,” he continued, and she heard the discipline in  _ his _ voice, the control. “You’re right. I’ll miss our connection, and our time, but if you want to be done, then we’re done. And I’m okay with that, and I’ll respect it.”

They stood like that, for a moment. Only a few feet apart, and yet, with their affair severed, Toph felt miles begin to stretch between them. They’d shattered apart the bonds of their friendship for this, and now a chasm gaped where structure used to be. Their relationship was forever changed.

“Goodnight, Sokka.” she said. And even though it wasn’t the last time she would say that, it was still an ending.

“Goodnight, Toph.” he said in return.

And then she left.

And then she went home.

And then she went to work, to her office, to her life.

And it was over. But there was nothing to grieve, only a fading memory.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for your patience, in getting this last chapter out. And as a bonus, there's an epilogue too. Love y'all. <3 ~Superster


	4. Epilogue

_ One month later... _

It was early. Early enough that most of the city still slept, and the breeze on her skin still held the night’s chill.

Toph was in the courtyard of her apartment, meditating through her bending forms.

She breathed deeply, and stepped into stances as familiar to her as earth itself. Her feet moved smoothly, hands in perfect step in the sequence, the movements grounding her and opening up her senses. She could see the city around her in perfect clarity, feel the roots of each of the blades of grass in the garden, the stones under her feet calling to her and wishing to be bent. Inside, her chi burned like veins of gold under a mountain, the paths ebbing and flowing as her body moved. From the top of her head to the base of her spine she felt each chakra individually, pooling and swirling and connecting to each other.

Except…

She stilled, holding her current stance and breathing deeply, keeping her concentration.

Her root chakra, deep in her belly, had a new tendril, a tiny stream of energy unspooling from it into somewhere else…

Oh.

_ Motherfucker _ .

She was pregnant again.

\---

_ 36 weeks later... _

Katara’s hands tingled where they touched her from the spirit-healing, and she spoke soothing, peaceful words that made Toph want to launch her fifty miles away on an earth pillar, but she grit her teeth instead as the next contraction rippled through her like an earthquake.

“You’re  _ so _ close, Toph. You’re doing so great.” Katara said, unruffled and calm from her spot between Toph’s legs. Aang was sitting up by her head, bravely holding his angry earthbender friend’s hand even as she did her best to break it with squeezing.

“I  _ know _ I’m close, this baby just needs to get the  _ hell on with it! _ ” Toph yelled, clenching Aang’s hand as hard as she could. The Avatar, master of all four elements, bridge between worlds, reassured her with a noticeably strained but still cheerful voice, “You got this, Sifu. Childbirth is beautiful, and you’re already a pro.”

Nevermind, earth pillars for both of them.

She cried out as the next contraction hit and she knew from the pressure that it was time to push.

The next 10 minutes felt like 10 years of tears, and pain, and effort, but then all of a sudden it was over and she collapsed and released Aang’s hand, and then she heard the sound of an infant crying and in that moment it was the most beautiful noise she’d ever heard.

“It’s a little girl!” Katara said, overjoyed. 

Mind still hazy from the pain, and so tired she could sleep for a week, Toph couldn’t stop the smile on her face. Another girl!

Aang put his hand on her shoulder, a happy tremor in his voice. “Congratulations, Toph! She’s so amazing! You’re so amazing!” If she didn’t know any better she would have thought he was crying a little bit.

The next few minutes were a rustle of cloth and a bustle of movement as Aang left to give the news to the kids and a few of the female air acolytes that Katara had brought with her from the temple came in to help wash the baby and clean up the bedding and get Toph some water but then finally, after wrapping her in a soft linen cloth, Katara placed the baby on Toph’s chest and the tears came.

“My little girl…” Toph carefully traced a finger over her face, feeling the delicate skin and her tiny, scrunched features. Her breathing was fast and strong, and Toph felt her squirm under the blanket and she laughed to herself at it. “She’s strong already.” she said, and Katara put a loving hand on her shoulder.

“Have you thought of any names yet?” Katara asked.

Toph nodded. “I have a couple in mind. But…”

Through the happiness, and the tears, a familiar pang pulled in her chest.

“...what color are her eyes?” she asked, softly. Usually it wouldn’t matter, but in this case, she needed to know.

Katara bent carefully, and looked at the little girl, running a finger gently over her cheek. Toph sensed her smile. “Beautiful earthbender green, just like her big sister.” Katara said proudly, straightening.

Toph released a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding.

“Then I’m going to name her Suyin.” she said, smiling.

Katara sighed happily. “That’s a lovely name!”

Just then, even from up in her bed, Toph felt the footsteps of little feet coming down the hallway. In walked Aang and the kids, and behind them was Lin and Sokka and Temujin.

Kya and Tenzin went to run forward, but Aang held them back with his hands on their shoulders.

“You’ll get to meet your new cousin in a minute, let’s let Lin go first.” he said, kindly.

Lin walked forward slowly, a little unsure. Toph beckoned her over with one hand. “Come on, kiddo. She’s not going to bite. This is Suyin.”

The little girl stepped over to the edge of the bed, and Toph bent Suyin down so Lin could see her better. There was a pause as her older daughter inspected the younger one.

“She’s squishy,” Lin said thoughtfully, “but I like her.”

This got a laugh from all the adults in the room, and Aang released the kids to come say hi, and everyone crowded around Toph’s bed to fawn over her and the new baby.

Katara lifted Tenzin up so he could see better, and Aang enthusiastically started telling Kya and Bumi the story of their births (“ _ Daaaaad! No! Not now!!” _ ) and Temujin came up and gave Toph a gentle hug around the shoulders. “Congratulations, Toph! She’s so beautiful. How wonderful for Lin to have a little sister!” She placed some sort of soft toy on the bed, a gift. “We brought that for the baby, and I left a few new records in the front room that I thought you might enjoy during your time off.”

The record player in Toph’s living room had been just about the only thing that kept her sane during her last couple months of pregnancy, and Temujin buying her some new records was an incredibly thoughtful gift, given how stir-crazy Toph would be with a newborn again.

“Thank you, Temujin. I really appreciate it.” Toph said sincerely, shifting Suyin to a more comfortable position.

Temujin scoffed lightly. “Don’t worry about it. And they’re from both of us.”

Sokka held back, behind the main press of eager loved ones, but she felt more than saw him wave in response. “The big band record is from me, the rest are from Tem.”

“Come here, Sokka. Come see the baby!” Temujin said, grabbing his hand and pulling him forward.

He was suddenly there, near her arm. His tunic brushed her skin as he bent carefully, and looked at the infant, squirming gently in Toph’s arms.

“May I touch her?” he asked, softly, almost hesitantly.

There was half a second of a pause, almost too much, but Toph pushed past it quickly. “Sure you can. Do you want to hold her?”

Sokka hesitated for a fraction of a second, and she wouldn’t have noticed if she hadn't been listening for it. “Yes, I’d like that very much.” he said, and the sincerity of his voice warmed her like Iroh’s chai. Then his big, warm hands were reaching around hers and lifting Suyin up and away, and the attention of the group followed the baby, refocusing to ooh and ahh around Sokka.

Toph took the moment to breathe, to relax a tension in her shoulders that she hadn’t noticed was there. There was no elephant-koi in the room. Because why would there be? Like Lin’s father, Suyin’s parentage besides Toph didn’t matter, and her friends knew and respected that. Suyin was another proud addition to the Beifong family, and her other genetic donor was of no consequence. Which was true, completely and utterly.

Toph was aware of her choices, and of the consequences of them. And she was damn proud to have another kid to love. And Sokka was kind, and responsible, and not stupid. He knew as well as anybody that Toph’s kids were just that:  _ Her _ kids. No one else’s.

Sokka passed Suyin around the circle of people, even helping Kya and Bumi hold her carefully, before he gently returned her into Toph’s arms.

“She’s amazing, Toph.” he said. “Really amazing. Congratulations.”

There was nothing in his tone to denote anything less than normal enthusiasm and happiness for a friend. Nothing. And she analyzed each syllable to be sure.

She wasn’t naive enough to think he didn’t know. That he didn’t do the math, that he thought she’d been with someone else.

But...everything seemed to be okay. Katara began shooing people out of the room. “Alright everybody, Toph needs to sleep and the baby needs to eat, so visiting time is over. You can all come back tomorrow!”

As Katara wrangled people through the door and people said their goodbyes, Sokka’s hand lingered on Toph’s arm.

It wasn’t long, it wasn’t untoward. He just lingered, for half a second longer than what might have been expected.

And then he left, arm around Temujin who was wishing Toph the best and promising to visit again soon.

Toph turned her ear to the baby in her arms, and listened to the sounds she made. She felt the quick and steady beat of her heartbeat. And Suyin was hers. Just hers. And things were good.

But, multiple things could be true at the same time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's the end! <3


End file.
